this weekend after drinking way too many pints of premium cask ale at the newest and greatest bar in town, we decided to sober up by walking a few blocks and grabbing take-out from truly vegan (another one of the many vegan/thai restaurants with the word vegan in its name). it’s a good thing we opted to get our food to go, because the atmosphere inside truly vegan is kind of dank and depressing…especially for a saturday night. tiny tables with advertisements shoved underneath the glass line the dingy light pink walls and look out on a crappy stretch of hollywood boulevard. plus, the servers are really rude and snappy. anyways, don’t let that discourage you. the food is pretty damn good.
quesadilla: half mozzarella, half cheddar served in chapatti bread. $6
drinking good beer works up quite an appetite, so we decided to get a bunch of dishes and share them. it turned out to be a pretty stellar feast, starting with the quesadilla. one of the better vegan cheese experiences i’ve had dining out, it was perfectly melty and gooey. even after the drive home, it just needed a few seconds in the microwave to warm it up and give it the right texture.
next, we divided up an order of sushi. light, refreshing and crisp vegetables were the perfect compliment to the sinful quesadilla. this sushi was so freakin’ healthy, it didn’t even have rice in it!
sushi wrap and vegetables: wrapped in nori sheets and served with vegetables (zucchini, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, cabbage) $6.99
lastly, we split the modest soy pepper steak wrap between us. it was alright, nothing to rave about or anything. at least it came with tahini!
soy pepper steak wrap: soy pepper steak, avocado, tomato, sprouts, lettuce served in chapatti bread. $6.99
personally, i’m not a fan of whatever sugary sauce they use to flavor the soy steak. it’s way too sweet. also, the wrap is pretty small and you only get like 4 little blobs of steak. a jip at 7 bucks, if you ask me.
overall, truly is pretty solid. definitely a good bet if you want some take-out in the area. the quesadilla and sushi were on point…i’d avoid the pepper steak wrap in the future. i wouldn’t recommend eating in from the looks of the place. i’d rather eat my truly food in front of the tv then crammed into their crummy establishment. i know that sounds harsh, but it’s true.
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4:56 pm on August 25th, 2008
I’m surprised you guys didn’t like the place itself. I think it’s super cute (never felt dingy me) and all the servers there have always be so super sweet and friendly. I’m wondering if they were just having an off evening? Funny you mentioned the crappy view too, because I actually love sitting in that one nice window seat and just watching the crazy Hollywood world go by while I enjoy my food. It’s quite the front row seat to all sort of action on a Saturday night!
Aside from all that I’ll totally agree on the quesadilla front, best faux-cheese quesadillas that I’ve come across yet (I love them at Lotus Vegan too, but Truly Vegan’s are even way better). I don’t know what that fake cheddar is that they’re using, but it’s fantastic, melts great and is freaky real tasting.
5:20 pm on August 25th, 2008
foodeater – really? maybe i just totally missed it when i went in. it was all dark in there and they were kinda mean to me when i went to the counter. the worst thing was, i had to sit at a table while they finished making the order, and on the table, shoved underneath the glass were all these really gross advertisements. they were for some medicine that cured urinary tract infection or something, it was so weird. and all the graphic medical terminology kinda put me off my food. of course, i was way over that by the time i got home! i will definitely try eating in there at some point, especially if you endorse it.
agreed. fake cheese rocks. and they even specify that it’s caesine free. i wish they’d share the secret!
6:32 pm on August 25th, 2008
So weird about the creepy advertisment! I don’t blame you for being turned off. Ewww. I’ve never seen that there before, usually it’s only been the specials menu under the glass (extra stuff that wasn’t on the menu). I wonder if they put it there or if some customer stuck it there without their knowing.
That sucks they were mean to you though, there is no excuse for that shit. So hard for me to picture though because they’ve also been so smiley and welcoming each time I’ve visited, especially the one male waiter. Oh well, you win some you lose some… I do hope you’ll go back, even if only for the yummydillia! I really like their grilled seitan dish, same as all the other Thai vegan places really but it’s particulary good there and they give you a lot.
9:55 pm on October 23rd, 2008
[...] other thai places, the pepper steak was way too sweet. they shared the same sugary taste as the pepper steak down the road at truly vegan. if i wanted a sweet meat, i’d search for a faux slice of honey-baked-ham, not steak. i dunno. [...]
10:37 pm on January 21st, 2010
Outdated, I know, but this place rules because of the free delivery to the area. the delivery guys are SO nice! but yeah, I hella concur.. no ambience at all, but when you’re at home/work and are too lazy to budge for food, Truly kicks ass
I agree with you on the steak thing. Not good at all.. try the birdie burger, though! the garlic cilantro sauce is yummy!
Vegan house silverlake DOES beat this place because their burgers cost the same and come with a hefty portion of fries. (truly’s come solo) Oh well. at least I have my Truly Vegan fleet of delivery guys that act like I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to them even though I order when I’m a total lazy mess
11:10 pm on January 26th, 2010
You’re right about the Birdie Burger. It’s awesome, especially with the “white” cheese (for some reason they always ask which cheese I want by color).
But the best thing on the menu is the soy beef burger with “yellow” (cheddar) cheese and bacon STRIPS (not bits), then you ask for a side of B.B.Q. sauce. That’s right, a vegan bar-b-que bacon cheeseburger. Truly amazing.
1:08 pm on March 7th, 2010
Instead of the steak wrap you should have tried it with chicken. And I love their pad thai with chicken. It is unbelievable. I miss Truly just about every day of my life.